Chattanooga fire captain placed on leave after assault charge

Chattanooga fire captain placed on leave after assault charge

June 12th, 2012by Beth Burger in Local Regional News

David Brooks

David Brooks

A Chattanooga Fire Department captain is on paid personal leave after he was arrested this month on an assault charge.

Capt. David Brooks, 40, was arrested June 3 along with his 21-year-old daughter, Jasmine Brooks, after they argued over her allegedly taking his flashlight. Each received a $500 bond, according to court records.

Jasmine Brooks sustained a laceration to her head that required a few stitches after being struck with the flashlight, according to the affidavit of complaint from Chattanooga Police Department.

David Brooks sustained several scratches from the altercation, the report said.

Brooks, a 16-year veteran of the department, was placed on leave from the department June 4.

"We're going to afford him due process and, after the court resolves his case, the department will look at it," said Deputy Chief Lamar Flint.

Brooks and his daughter ended up fighting on the floor with the rest of the family members trying to break them up, the affidavit stated.

He was demoted from fire marshal to captain in 2010 after an internal investigation revealed that he acted inappropriately with another firefighter's wife.

The department did not issue a statement when Brooks was arrested on June 3.

When asked why, Flint said, "It was [the police department's] case. They made the arrest. Our firefighters are no different than any other citizen. I know they are held to a higher standard. That was a personal issue. But it's something we're going to look into. We do expect our firefighters to uphold the standards of the department even when they are off duty."

Brooks and his daughter are both scheduled to appear June 19 before Hamilton County General Sessions Court Judge Clarence Shattuck